June 10, 2025 – A young mother’s lessons to and from the parents.

For 20 days, she intends to make a difference.

Every day, 20-year-old Mycel Pasta, a 2nd year college student from Lopez, Quezon, has to endure being away from her three-year old child. For 20 days, she has been staying at Butanguiad Elementary School in the town of San Francisco. During the day, she would face parents like her and teach them. At night, however, she would be usually faced with boredom and longingness.

Still, Mycel continues to be strong. After all, she believes in what she is doing and what this experience will teach her moving forward.

Mycel is one of the 1,017 college students in Quezon Province who are engaged in the DSWD’s Tara Basa! Tutoring Program (TBTP) this 2025. For 20 days, they work as tutors conducting reading tutorial sessions to incoming Grade 2 pupils or as youth development workers facilitating Nanay-Tatay sessions to the parents.

Mycel is assigned as a youth development worker handling 10 parents.

Being a young parent and a young teacher

As a youth development worker, Mycel is tasked to facilitate Nanay-Tatay sessions that are designed to capacitate the parents in building a positive relationship with their children and fulfilling their responsibilities in guiding their children, especially with their studies.

“Sa unang araw pa lang, nagpakilala na ako sa mga magulang. Ikinuwento ko na sa kanila ang kalagayan ko,” shared Mycel, who started her family at a young age but remain to be committed to reach her dream to become a teacher.

Knowing the objectives of the sessions and being able to relate to her ‘students,’ Mycel is excited to interact with the parents.

“‘Yung akin pong sariling experience bilang isang nanay ay naibabahagi ko rin sa aking mga kaharap na magulang, at marami din akong natutunan sa kanilang mga personal experiences bilang magulang lalo na kung paano magagabayan nang tama ang mga anak namin,” she shared.

Despite her young age, Mycel is grateful that the parents respond positively to the sessions.

“Sabi po ng mga parents, natutuwa sila sa akin dahil kahit sobrang bata ko pa ay para na daw akong isang teacher talaga,” happily shared Mycel, who gets her strength to continue being away from her family from feedbacks like this from the parents.

According to Mycel, she can attribute the success of her sessions mainly because of the relationship she established with the parents as they are able to relate to each other’s experiences in raising children.

Reaching her own dreams

Mycel may have started her own family at a young age; however, she still values her education and believes in how this will help her family in the future.

“Bata pa lang talaga ay gusto ko nang maging teacher. Gusto ko talagang makatapos ng pag-aaral,” shared Mycel, who is now studying to be a teacher at the Laguna State Polytechnic University – Lopez.

This dream is also the same reason she became a youth development worker.

“Nais ko pong ma-experience kung paano maghandle ng isang grupo at kung paano kumilos bilang isang leader. Gusto ko rin pong maka-experience ng pagtuturo para mapalakas ang aking kakayahan,” she shared.

Further, Mycel is also looking forward to the cash assistance she will be receiving in exchange for her 20-day engagement with the program.

“Plano ko pong bumili ng laptop dahil kakailanganin ko po ito lalo na at mag-third year college na ako ngayong pasukan,” she shared.

Mycel added that this is a big help for her studies as most of the time, her husband’s income as a construction worker is not enough to support their daily needs at home and her daily expenses in school.

Outside of the modules she facilitates, this is the main lesson she would want to impart to the parents –valuing the education of their children and most importantly, doing whatever it takes to help their children reach their dreams.

As the end of the 20-day program nears, Mycel is positive about two things–being able to impart knowledge to her co-parents and being able to gain experiences to make her an effective teacher in the future.# [with reports from VVEsquieres]